Hotel Front Office Management, 3rd Edition

PLANNING A POINT-OF-SALE FRONT OFFICE 365III. Gift shopA. Emergency items1. Clothing2. ToiletriesB. SouvenirsC. Promotional sales in progressIV. Health facilitiesA. Swimming pool1. Availability to guests2. Memberships/gift certificatesB. Jogging paths and times of organized daily group runsC. Health club1. Availability to guests2. Memberships/gift certificatesEvaluate AlternativesPlanning teams have to determine which concepts produced in a brainstorming sessionwarrant further consideration. This task is not always easy, but if the team refers to statedgoals and objectives, then the job is much simpler. In this case, the overall purpose of theprogram would be to maximize sales by the front office staff of front office, food andbeverage department, gift shop, and health facilities products and services. The team mustdecide which area or areas would be most profitable.Devise Incentive ProgramsDuring the brainstorming part of planning for a point-of-sale front office, the teamshould also consider supporting concepts that will play an important part in the successof a sales program—incentives. The point-of-sale plan should include an incentive program,which entails understanding employees’ motivational concerns and developing opportunitiesfor employees to achieve their goals. This will encourage cooperation amongthe frontline employees who will implement the point-of-sale plan.The front office manager is responsible for determining how each employee is motivated.Many motivational strategies require a financial commitment by management.These costs must be included as a budget line item. When the owner can see additionalsales being created as a result of these programs, the idea of sharing some of the profit ismore acceptable.Motivation, understanding employee needs and desires and developing a frameworkfor meeting them, is an essential part of developing a point-of-sale front office. The questionbecomes, How does a front office manager discover what employees want? A numberof theorists have explored this area; the theories of Douglas McGregor, Abraham Maslow,Elton Mayo, and Frederick Herzberg provide insight into what motivates employees tobehave in desired ways (see Table 13-1). Once a front office manager knows what em-TLFeBOOK